Daniel Genis does a good job of exposing how mainstream (and non-) religions “depend on the vulnerable to grow their numbers,” but he touches only briefly on how the incarcerated abuse their religious freedom.

By his own admission, Genis did not “choose” a religion or faith because of a religious conviction, philosophical belief or moral value; rather, for his own self-centered desire to be among “educated thinkers” with whom he could relate.
I have been incarcerated since 2010, and more often than not, I’ve seen offenders use religion and the resulting opportunities for their own benefit and to manipulate the system. I have yet to see an individual on a kosher diet who’s actually a practicing Jew (kosher meals are of better quality than regular prison meals); I consistently see prisoners using their new-found faiths for sentence re-considerations and appeals; and rarely do I observe a prisoner behaving in a manner appropriate to their religion or faith when it demands personal sacrifice or offers no personal gain or incentives.

There may be fringe faiths in prisons, but from what I have observed, the majority of offenders who may embrace a religion will abuse it and are not sincere.

C. David Fisher,Ordway

This letter was published in the March 3 edition.

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Cherif, left, and Said Kouachi are believed to have killed 12 people at the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Jan. 8. They were later killed by French security forces. (AP Photo/Prefecture de Police de Paris)

Why is Greg Dobbs unwilling to accept the very statements of the terrorists who clearly articulate that they are motivated by their religion? That other factors may be operative in their lives and how they cope with these issues does not whitewash the religious motivation at the very heart of how they live out their lives and the violent “solutions” they perpetrate.

Dobbs’ comments join a long list of “religious apologists” who are also seeking to whitewash the role of religion regarding such massacres as in Paris.

Please check out the Guardian article “Why I’m speaking up for Islam against the loudmouths who have hijacked it” by Maajid Nawaz, a former jihadist who converted to liberalism and is still a Muslim.

Leon Krier,Lakewood

This letter was published in the Jan. 15 edition.

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Sister Caroline attends a rally with other supporters of religious freedom to praise the Supreme Court’s decision in the Hobby Lobby, contraception coverage requirement case on June 30 in Chicago. (Scott Olson,Getty Images)

On the eve of Yom Kippur (as I write this), and as a veteran singer of classical and choral music as well as a cantorial soloist, I see this as a one-sided view of religious power of those who hold the purse strings (employers) vs. those who don’t hold the purse strings (the job seekers). In this situation, the Supreme Court took the position of protecting the rights of those who hold the purse strings. If an employee or potential employee is of the same opinion as the employer, then fine. But if the potential employee is not of that opinion, then a decision is made to either stick to their religious principles or forgo their principles to find work and feed their family.

I am reminded of Felix Mendelsohn and Gustav Mahler, both of whom were classical composers originally of Jewish heritage who became Christian in order to find recognition of their work, and also to find work. Is history repeating itself in the United States for women who want female health issues covered by insurance?

Elliott Magalnick, Denver

This letter was published in the Oct. 15 edition.

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We should purge the euphemism “cleansing” from our collective vocabulary when what we really mean is persecution, extortion and murder. There is nothing truly religious or clean about what you described in your editorial. You already know that; just tell it like it is.

B.J. Smith, Longmont

This letter was published in the July 25 edition.

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A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter takes his position behind dirt barriers built along the front line in Mariam Bek village, between the northern cities of Tikrit and Kirkuk, Iraq, on June 30. (Hussein Malla, The Associated Press)

Obvious is what I would call the remedy for the current state affairs in the Middle East. Since the underlying cause of the violence in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and environs is religious in nature, the process to restore peace is to either harness religious impulses or do away with the institution altogether. Add to this religious strife our worldwide perverse, pathological engrossment with ethnicity, race and skin color. If we got rid of the lot of these presently sacred or venial creations, there would be little left other than confrontation over territory and resources as an excuse for citizens of the world to kill each other.

A near impossible task to be sure. But at this stage, after several millennia of trying to promote peace through negotiations and finding a “common ground” between diametrically opposed Gods, it seems the only approach that hasn’t been tried is to abandon religions — the profaned as well as the corrupt albeit peaceful variety.

Jan Sershen, Cañon City

This letter was published in the July 2 edition.

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A concept that was missing was the distinction between correlation and causation, which basically says that just because two things track each other does not mean that one causes the other. I would offer an additional perspective, but first some relevant facts.

Even though there is a trend toward more people claiming to be non-religious, that trend is greatly magnified among young people. It has been offered that increasing numbers are becoming disillusioned with organized religions because of their intolerance toward social issues. This would certainly motivate them toward the Democratic Party, but what is causing the disillusionment?

I would offer that increased access to a wide range of viewpoints (e.g., the Internet) allows people to think and choose for themselves instead of embracing “immutable” dogma.

I find that very encouraging.

Philip Parilla, Lakewood

This letter was published in the Sept. 1 edition.

My Lutheran church has many compassionate, progressive, Obama-voting members who worship every Sunday. The only reason people who call themselves religious vote Republican is that the GOP has corrupted too many churches. The GOP gave churches power because they knew power corrupts, and it did. Now, in many churches, the love and teachings of Jesus Christ have been replaced by the greed and “objectivism” of Ayn Rand. Whenever the religious right confronts a contradiction between the GOP (Rand) platform and the teachings of Jesus, they always choose the GOP over Jesus.

Jesus taught us to care for the poor, heal the sick, pay taxes to “Caesar,” and not judge our neighbors. Does that sound like the GOP? When the religious right claims such teachings are only for the next life, they forget the Lord’s Prayer: “thy will be done, on earth as it in heaven.”

Joan Jacobson, Lakewood

This letter was published in the Sept. 1 edition.

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I noticed with interest the competing advertisements in the July 4 edition of The Denver Post.

One ad (from the Freedom From Religion Foundation) featured various quotations from former presidents and other Founding Fathers supporting the separation of church and state. The other ad (from Hobby Lobby, Hemispheres and Mardel Stores) also featured quotations from presidents and various others supporting the role of religion in our country.

As I looked over these two advertisements, I could only think of what the Roman teacher and philosopher Seneca wrote about religion: “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.”

Now, there’s something to consider.

Thomas Johnson, Aurora

This letter was published in the July 10 edition.

Two full-page ads illustrate both the quandary of our media and why our country is so divided.

Both ads included quotes from our Founding Fathers favorable to advertisers’ own religious viewpoints. The only people convinced are already believers in one or the other. These ads were displayed on pages 8A and 17A, respectively, with these messages: “In Reason We Trust” and “In God We Trust.”

All the Founding Fathers’ pronouncements on religion must be included to know their real historical religious views.

It’s obvious that neither group wanted to reveal the full viewpoint that out founders actually believed. And that is what is wrong with today’s journalism and the corresponding public debate.

Gordon W. Brown, Lone Tree

This letter was published in the July 10 edition.

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The recent Supreme Court decisions on so-called “gay marriage” are a reminder to faithful Catholics as well as to all men and women of good will that not everything legal is moral. The child in the womb deserves protection in spite of Roe vs. Wade. And those in touch with the natural law as well as the gospel will continue to recognize, honor and protect marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, in spite of public opinion or judicial tyranny responding to the power of the gay lobby and the liberal press.

All individuals should be treated with dignity regardless of their sexual preference. However, all sexual activity outside of marriage is objectively sinful. Moral guilt, however, can only be judged by God. The Catholic Church will never consent to or be bullied into recognizing “same-sex marriage.” Let us hope that society recognizes eternal truths instead of continuing to throw incense at the altars of hedonism and relativism.

Allen Murphy, Westminster

This letter was published in the June 29 edition.

Regarding gay marriage, former Colorado state Sen. Ed Jones says, “To define marriage in something other than a religious sense … [is] scary.” But what is truly scary is the idea, unfortunately planted long ago, that government is meant to choose one religion and embed those beliefs in the workings of a nation of many religions. Government should never have mixed religion and marriage. We should have government-sanctioned civil marriage for all, with all attached benefits and responsibilities — and additional faith-based marriage for those whose faiths support it.

Ironically, the United Church of Christ, with roots all the way back to our earliest colonies, is one of the religions which support gay marriage. So “religion” is not the way to define marriage. Let our government take care of the equality aspects for everyone, and each religion may do as it wishes on this issue.

Nancy Kratohvil, Centennial

This letter was published in the June 29 edition.

While the recent decision regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is being championed for same-sex couples, it can also have a positive impact on children.

As pediatricians, we believe that same-sex couples can provide stable and nurturing households. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a household with two parents may provide a better structure and more stable environment for children. The sex of those parents is immaterial.

While defeating DOMA allows for marriage to be between members of any sex, it does not secure equal parenting rights for same-sex couples. Currently, in states where same-sex marriage is not recognized, a same-sex parent can be denied the ability to access or influence the care of their child. We need to support movements to legalize same-sex marriage not only for the couples, but for the well-being of their children.

Matt Leroue, M.D., Denver

Erin Lueth, M.D., Denver

Savannah Ross, M.D., Denver

This letter was published in the June 29 edition.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s ability to tolerate his own cognitive dissonance amazes me. One day he blithely guts the 2006 landslide congressional extension of the Voting Rights Act (390-33 in the House and 98-0 in the Senate), then the next day bitterly defends the Defense of Marriage Act because, well, Congress passed it overwhelmingly in 1996 (342-67 in the House and 85-14 in the Senate). Scalia supports the authority of Congress, except when he doesn’t.

Cyd Szymanski, Englewood

This letter was published in the June 29 edition.

Stop the music. Re-cork the champagne. Jesus Christ, the chiefest justice of the supremest court — the “liberal” judge of judges — reigns over the ill-begotten, futile agenda and celebration because of the overturn of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Let the record reflect that His unprecedented scriptural precedents — engraved in stone — leave the U.S. Supremes without jurisdictional standing in this unalterable matter. “Liberal” is a good Bible term. And “What God has joined” — meaning man and woman, from Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19: 5,6 — “let no man put asunder.”

Pastor Maurice R. Gordon, Aurora

This letter was published in the June 29 edition.

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Compare the religiousness of Europeans to Americans and it becomes clear that America has become a religious Mecca. Seventy-one percent of Americans “believe in God with absolute certainty.” Compare that with an EU average of 50 percent.

Mississippi is the most religious state, where 91 percent of Mississippians hold a “certain” belief in God. But what other characteristics do highly religious states exhibit?

Mississippi also holds the following titles: highest illiteracy rate, lowest median family income, lowest percentage of high-school graduates, and the most obese. On the other hand, Colorado, which ranked the 41st most religious in the study, carried the following titles: third in percentage with a bachelor’s degree or higher; and the lowest obesity rate. Extend this comparison to the religiousness of other states and there is a clear connection between poverty, an under-educated populace, and being religious.

Religion is a valuable source of comfort and guidance for many Americans. However, it is something worth investigating when the more educated and logical a populace becomes, the less religion plays a part in life.

Alex Eckstein, Denver

This letter was published in the Dec. 30 edition. For information on how to send a letter to the editor, click here.

In defense of the Nativity scene at the Denver City and County Building, The Post’s editorial board proclaims that “Most Coloradans celebrate Christmas and are not in the least bit offended.” Count me as one Christmas-celebrating Coloradan who is indeed offended.

I know: Such displays have the “blessing” of the Supreme Court. Under the court’s rule, so long as baby Jesus is depicted as being no more significant than a dancing candy cane (or, in The Post’s view, “the smell from the stock show”), there is no constitutional problem.

But there are many Coloradans who, like me, believe the government should not sponsor religious displays even if the law allows it. If I need reminding of the “reason for the season,” I go to church, not to the government. (And if campy Denver tradition is what I’m after, I go to Casa Bonita.)

Jill Wichlens, Denver

This letter was published in the Dec. 19 edition. For information on how to send a letter to the editor, click here.

Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 150 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address, day and evening phone numbers, and may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.

To reach the Denver Post editorial page by phone: 303-954-1331

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